Men Have Called Her Crazy

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussions of mental illness, suicidal ideation, self-harm, disordered eating, and addiction. 

When Tendler arrives at the inpatient psychiatric hospital treatment center, the staff takes her suitcase to search for drugs or weapons. The staff asks her why she is entering treatment, and she answers that she is experiencing suicidal ideation, self-harm, and disordered eating. The staff then evaluate her for her suicide risk, deeming her at high risk. Tendler entered the program at the recommendation of her therapist, Dr. Karr, who felt they had come to an impasse during their treatment. Psychiatrist Dr. Samuels evaluates Tendler, assessing her for various mental conditions. She speaks with Dr. Samuels about her disordered eating and history of self-harm, which began when she was 14. Her disordered eating became more intense during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which time she also penned a suicide note she remembers being filled with vitriol about her perception of the people in her life’s failure to notice her physical and mental decline. Instead of suicide, Tendler harmed herself to “relieve the pain” (3). Tendler harms herself with scissors but keeps the wounds clean, something she regards as part of the ritual of her habit of self-harm.